The Duke of Sussex has claimed that the Court Circular is a ‘sinister document’ that causes constant ‘tension’ amongst members of The Firm
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Princess Anne has been rushed off her feet in Scotland this week, as she carries out a string of engagements across the country. The Gloucestershire royal has been working in Scotland since Tuesday, with her diary this week including a Chancellor's Dinner at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, opening the new Lady Haig poppy factory in Edinburgh, and visiting the WildGenes Laboratory at Edinburgh Zoo, to name a few engagements.
Anne, who lives at Gatcombe Park in Minchinhampton, is often praised for her strong work ethic, and was named as the hardest working royal of 2022 last month, reports The Express. Over the course of 2022, the year that Anne and her three brothers lost their mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, the 72-year-old carried out 214 engagements, more than any other royal.
Anne's elder brother King Charles III ranked second on the list, conducting 181 engagements last year, and was followed by Prince Edward, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Prince William, Queen Consort Camilla, and then Kate, Princess of Wales. The Princess Royal is a popular member of The Firm, with her no-nonsense attitude and devotion to working making her an admired figure.
Read more: Princess Anne’s Bull Terrier allegedly attacked another dog at royal family gathering
Whilst many admire Anne for her hard-working attitude, her nephew, the Duke of Sussex, has hit out at her accolade, claiming that it is the result of obsessive competition between the royals. In his bombshell memoir Spare, which was published last week, Harry claimed that members of his family 'feverishly' attempted to top the list of the most public duties in the Court Circular — the official record of royal engagements.
Harry, 38, claimed that certain members of The Firm were 'obsessed' with having the highest number of official engagements per year, causing tension within the family. Although Harry didn't name names, he claimed that, as the list is self-reported, it is 'rigged', suggesting that some members of his family gave themselves bigger numbers than they deserved to give the impression that they worked harder than other royals.
Referring to the Court Circular as a 'sinister document', Harry claimed that it had turned into a 'circular firing squad', writing: "It didn’t create the feeling of competitiveness that ran in my family, but it amplified them, weaponised them.
"Certain members had become obsessed, feverishly striving to have the highest number of official engagements in the Circular each year, no matter what."
The Duke claims that the list was built on unreliable data as some royals would include public interactions that were 'mere blips' – which he and William did not do – and that the late Queen and Duke of Edinburgh would allocate working hours to members of the family. Harry added that it was 'grossly unfair' to be 'publicly flogged for how much Pa permitted him and William to do'.
Harry also slammed the kinds of engagements that were recognised on the Court Circular, suggesting that ostentatious encounters were favoured over more sentimental ones. Although the contents of the list were not discussed publicly, Harry claimed that it was a permanent source of 'tension' within The Firm.
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